


dear waltz

by oktavia (orphan_account)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, M/M, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-04
Updated: 2013-07-04
Packaged: 2017-12-17 15:49:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/869252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/oktavia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren's plans rarely ever seem to work out; he was hoping Levi had never danced before either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	dear waltz

Eren swallows hard, expression a little more than apprehensive when Levi puts a small hand on his shoulder and looks up at him expectantly, eyes dark and gloomy, face a little too close to Eren's for comfort.  
  
"Are you serious right now?"  
  
Startled out of his flushed and nerve-wracked daze, Eren makes a noise of affirmation in response before hastily snatching Levi's free hand in his own and holding it high in a grandiose display of what he hoped was proper dancing form.  
  
"Like this, right? And then, I..." Eren trails off, inhaling through his nose as he looks down at the space between his own body and the lance corporal's. It seemed like the breadth of an entire world before, but Eren couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable all of the sudden. The gap between their chests is almost nonexistent like this, and if Eren were to just be brave and get into proper form already, who knows what would happen to that precious, insufferable little pocket of space between them?  
  
"And then, you--? Look, don't tell me you don't know at least  _this_  much. Quit screwing around and get into position," Levi commands with the same firmness he would use to issue an order to strike or kill. His mounting annoyance was very much real, Eren could see it in the subtle pull of his brow and the way he gives Eren's shoulder the faintest squeeze.  
  
Eren is struck dumbfounded for a moment, but what's left of his survival instinct compels him to nod as he tries not to stumble over his words. "Yes, sir!"  
  
He can feel his face burning with an intensity that would put any Titan to shame as he reaches forward and puts a hand on Levi's waist, the promise of warm skin and muscle hidden beneath the thin fabric of his dress shirt. Eren tries to push the fact that the only thing separating his rough fingertips from Levi's bare skin is a few scant centimeters of cloth (if even that) out of his mind, but it's hard when the intimacy of their closeness is driving him mad. If he wanted to, he could duck down and crush his lips to that smart and biting mouth.  
  
Levi says nothing and begins to move, leading their dance with a quick but graceful expertise that has Eren's mind reeling. He wonders if Levi has ever danced like this with someone else before, who the man's partner was, if they adored him as much as Eren does in this moment.  
  
He's cut-throat, even in the gentle throes of solitude where it's only the two of them alone in the little basement only a select few know of, and as Eren struggles to not only keep up but make his movements seem deliberate and seamless as well, all he can do is think about Levi, Lance Corporal Levi-- the roughness of his hands, the swiftness of his step, the way his back is so small though it secretes a strong, unyielding will beneath every inch of skin.  
  
"You're stepping all over my goddamn feet," Levi assesses with disdain, squeezing Eren's shoulder with the intent to get his attention before mumbling, "not to mention dirtying my boots."  
  
Eren manages a weak, "I'm sorry, sir," through a growl of pain as he tries to move faster and keep up with Levi's movements.  
  
"Quit with the apologies. Show me some results."  
  
Eren has never danced before, was counting on the assumption that Levi hadn't either. Of course he was thrown for a loop and had the air knocked out of him; that always seemed to be the case between them whenever Eren found himself wanting to learn more and more about the other man-- Eren would dig and rend flesh and bone, scavenge for any morsel of connectivity within the hollows of Levi's heart, and of course he often came up empty. Whether that was for a lack of content within Levi or because Eren himself was every bit as young and sunny as Levi believed him to be, Eren wasn't sure. That was fine with him, however; Eren's admiration was hard-earned, and there was a reason why he'd remained starstruck for so long.  
  
Despite his continual efforts to keep up, Eren ends up attempting to twirl his partner with the intention of stealing the lead so he could control the pace, but of course Levi catches wind of the motions, follows through with them, before the two finally come to an awkward stop. Eren is met with a perturbed stare.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Levi looks as if he has half a mind to kick Eren hard.  
  
Never one to be daunted by such glaring warnings however, Eren presses on and replies with a petulant, "You're going too fast! I've never done this before, you know!"  
  
Levi seems unmoved. "Sounds like a personal problem to me."  
  
With a frustrated rumble in his throat, Eren straightens his posture before suddenly declaring, "Just-- Let me lead! I want to try!"  
  
Levi sighs loudly but goes along with Eren's every step, following the boy with the same expertise he lead him with. He let his frustration consume him, Eren knew, but at the same time he found there was something oddly satisfying about pulling the corporal along for once, watching him sway with the force of a will other than his own.   
  
No, Eren thinks, maybe even now he's still in control, what with him being the source of Eren's burst of aggression, but with his usual immature want, Eren tries to convince himself that Levi is anything but an ordinary human man confined to mortal flesh, reassures his ardent heart that there isn't a situation Levi doesn't hold in the palm of his hand.  
  
In the midst of what was essentially ungainly spinning, Eren suddenly leans forward, attempting to dip Levi back. It fails royally of course, and Levi ends up clutching the fabric of Eren's shirt in a fist as he squeezes the boy's hand as if threatening to take him down to the stone-cold floor with him.  
  
Eren snaps back up, pulling Levi flush against him with mischievous laughter. He's so pleased with the man's reaction that he's almost able to ignore the fact Levi's hands clutching him are making his skin and muscles flare with sharp agony.  
  
"You think you're funny, don't you, you shitty brat?" Levi spats, clearly annoyed though something about his fury seemed disingenuous.  
  
To Eren, Levi looks like nothing more than a bristling cat, and there's no way any of Levi's former dance partners could have loved him more than Eren does in this moment.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that, Corporal," Eren offers, his chuckles dying down. "I just wanted to try it."  
  
All Levi gives him in response is a shove with their joined hands, a rough but silent command for Eren to resume his movements so that they may continue their dance practice.  
  
Eren nods, inhales a deep breath, and takes a step back, holding Levi against him as close as could be. The circles are still immense, sloppy, unrefined, but Levi quietly follows along with that mysterious energy of his, Eren grinning and red-cheeked all the while. There's absolutely no way anyone has ever loved Levi more than Eren does at this moment.


End file.
